About

MaritimeGardening.com is a podcast and website resource for gardening enthusiasts in The Maritime Provinces of Canada and beyond (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island).

Greg Auton – Host & Content Developer

“My name is Greg Auton, and I love gardening. There is something about the whole experience of gardening that really appeals to me: I’m outside, in the fresh air, getting some exercise and a little sun; it’s quiet and peaceful, I am completely focused on what I am doing, like a meditation; I slow down, watch, and listen – and when this happens I always learn new things; and of course, I am growing my own food, and it tastes better than anything I’ve ever bought!

I grew up like many kids in the 1970’s, with a modest backyard vegetable garden that my parents maintained, and when I bought my first house, I put in a garden that very year and my garden has gotten bigger each year ever since. A number of years ago I discovered an approach to gardening called ‘permaculture’, which briefly defined, involves copying the systems that work in nature, and incorporating them into to your garden design. This means moving away from roto-tillers, perpetual watering, perpetual weeding, pathological fertilization, and constant poisoning of pests. It’s about moving toward a far easier, less costly and more productive approach to gardening, by creating a garden that is designed to take care of itself. I currently maintain a garden that is approximately 2500 square feet. I do this all by myself, it takes very little of my time, and provides for a good proportion of my family’s diet each year.

The purpose of this podcast is threefold:

(1) I’ve noticed that the practice of keeping a backyard vegetable garden, which was very common when I was a child, has really been lost on my generation and subsequent generations. Something has happened in our collective minds, such that we’ve become convinced that we do not have the time, it’s too hard, or it’s just not worth it. I want to change that, and bring people back to gardening.

(2) I want to introduce people to permaculture gardening. There is a lot of information out there on this approach, but I think a good deal of it is needlessly over-complicated. Adopting a permaculture design in your garden is really quite simple in its essence, and is ideal for anyone who values a low maintenance, high output garden.

(3) The prospect of getting started might be overwhelming for some. There are many costs that we associate with setting up a garden, and it hardly seems worth the money or the time. In my experience, this has never been the case. My third and final goal for this show is to show people that when they are properly designed, gardens always give, they never take.

I’m not an expert, and in fact I think no gardener can truly be called an expert, because gardening is a process of perpetual learning and development. I’ll share my experiences and what wisdom I’ve gained over the years, and will look forward to your feedback. Hopefully we will grow together this season and keep learning.”

David Doggett – Producer, Editor, Marketing

“Though both of my grandfathers were green thumbs, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to gardening. My true passion is with technology and producing useful content. I have made a career out of being an Internet/Multimedia entrepreneur. I look forward to working with Greg in providing useful and relevant gardening information with you via The Maritime Gardening Podcast.”